The Princess Victoria

sanctuary

Don't be fooled by the exterior! 9th September 2009

0 found this helpful

It's easy to dismiss this place judging by the area and the exterior. But do *not* let that put you off this absolutely amazing place. The food is excellent and extremely well priced considering the huge roast dinner portions.

We started with the Pork Board and were so bowled over by the included Pork Cheek that we had to order another portion of it. I had the Pork Belly for my main which was brilliant and finished off my meal with the chocolate mouse which was also top notch.

Decor is really nice. Victorian in style, but not cramped like most gastopubs. The extremely high ceilings give the eating area a very big and wide open feel. Service was nice and friendly.
I wouldn't hesitate to go back if in the area again.

girlswear

Neo-Classic: Work Local Pub 2 26th August 2009

0 found this helpful

I love this pub! I love the décor and the food the most. We sometimes go to this place for work meetings and lunch with clients. The owner and chef are very friendly (but not sure if they're extra friendly to us because they know my boss well?).

My favourite thing to order is the pork cracklings and the pork cheeks croquette served with a mayonnaise based dip with chopped chorinchons. I've only been there for lunch, and they do a great £12 two course meal. The prices are on a bit of expensive side for food, but I think it's good value for the quality that you get.

The beer garden is lovely, it has a very romantic Victorian garden feel with painted antique metal garden furniture.

Whether you're here for a drink, a business meeting, or a date. This is a great place for it! Speaking of, will be there tonight for a colleague's leaving do...

sue

Shepherds Bush Gastropub 11th November 2008

6 found this helpful

Sunday lunch at the Princess Victoria with friends was bound to be good…. I hoped. Well, it had recently been voted "Best Gastropub 2008", so I figured it must be pretty special.

It looked the part, with an attractive, high-ceilinged bar at the front and separate dining area to the rear. The dining area turned out to be noisy and I wished we were sitting in the bar area as it had a better atmosphere. Service was friendly and efficient, though attentiveness dropped off as the place filled up. Didn't attack the wine list, but it did look interesting - not many bottles under £20 though. Oh - I did like the complimentary sparkling water!

For lunch we started with the Crab bisque with rouille, gruyere and croutes, and the Terrine of confit rabbit with chestnuts, Serrano ham, celeriac and apple remoulade. Both dishes were nice, but we'd had better examples in other gastropubs.

We all chose the same main course - the Roasted belly of Gloucester Old Spot pork, with roasted potatoes, apple sauce and crackling (though I don't recall any crackling). Again, nice flavours, but nothing special. Shame. For dessert we shared the Sticky toffee pudding with vanilla ice cream, and the Steamed apple sponge with cinnamon ice cream. Both desserts were simple but tasty.

All up, the meal was fine, but didn't live up to the "best gastropub" hype IMHO. Prices were reasonable though, and if you lived locally you could do a lot worse.

up_shiraz at 12/11/08

And you would want to live pretty close...it's a bit of a hike to get to!

Add Comment

bellaphon

Top up your oyster and bus it to this place. 24th August 2008

2 found this helpful

Found out about this place from Andy Hayler’s site. His write up prompted me with eagerness and excitement, good food and booze at affordable prices.

Wow, a pub, great I can dine alone without an audacious stare. The pub proper was lovely, comforting and welcoming. At least when I was there the absence of any big screens showing sports and eighties pop music blaring from tinny sounding speakers was an absolute relief. I ordered a pint of delicious real ale (sorry forgotten the name) and requested whether I could order some lunch as well. They only serve bar snacks in the pub, however if I wish for the works I’d need to go the dining room instead.

The ambience in the dining room was absolutely gratifying, natural daylight from the skylights, and tables that were already occupied by a decent looking mix of diners. I felt somewhat intimidated, what with dining alone in this room especially with that damn camera on tow. I suggested to the lovely waitress that, look I really really want to sample the food in the pub area instead, my request was politely turned down. You stay here mate, camera-trotting lonely heart or not, it doesn’t make a slightest bit of difference.

I was glad that I finally settled down comfortably in the dining room. I went straight for the mains of Roasted Belly of Gloucester Old Spot with roast potatoes, carrots and applesauce. The crackling that came with the course was enough to make me weep. This course was pure straight As, the melting and giving texture of the pork complimented the well cooked veg. Now I don’t’ normally go for desserts, but the Sticky Toffee Pudding with vanilla ice cream was memorable, it’s been sometime since I tasted the real flavour of toffee.

£15.50 for the two brilliant courses, free bread and tap water served in their own signature bottles, plus no cover and service charge. The Princess Victoria deserves an accolade for enhancing the Bush.

Niamheen at 26/08/08

I have got to go here. Sounds exactly like my kind of place.

bellaphon at 26/08/08

You'll love Niamh, forgot to mention that the brill wine list was sensibly priced.

Add Comment

claypole

12th August 2008

3 found this helpful

This newly refurbished pub on the Uxbridge Road is exactly what "The Bush" needed. It has been turned into a fantastic open space, with high ceilings and plenty of light, the food is excellent (I have only had bar snacks so far, but plan to have dinner and Sunday lunch here soon. You can eat in the pub or they have a large connected dining area), they have three pages of wine for white and then another three pages of red. The price of the wine escalates quite quickly however, so not a huge selection sub £20, which is a shame. That said, all the wine is good (including the house) and we have had some spectacular bottles around £30-40 mark. They are very knowledgeable too, just ask for an expert behind the bar. And you can take away at off-license prices, which is a nice touch.

They are doing a farmers market outside on a Saturday, although I haven't had a chance to check this out yet. And they are planing to bring in experts and do wine tasting. They have a decent selection of draft and bottled beers and cider, and do some classic cocktails too.

All in all then, my only criticism is how much I end up spending whenever I "pop down the local" with my friends!